How to Ride When It’s Windy
Like all challenges in our sport—rain, cold, hills, competition—dealing with wind has both a mental and a practical side. Here are some ways to ease the challenge of riding on blustery days.
Like all challenges in our sport—rain, cold, hills, competition—dealing with wind has both a mental and a practical side. Here are some ways to ease the challenge of riding on blustery days. – By Neil Bezdek
Ride on Sheltered Roads
A crosswind applies lateral force to tyres, and along with braking and turning, these forces add up and can make you lose traction. For example, if a crosswind blows from the left and you also lean left in a turn, the airflow is more likely to kick your wheels to the right and out from beneath you. Alternatively, a crosswind from the opposite direction will generate downforce and increase your traction.
Also use caution when traversing slick surfaces such as wet metal or pavement, and when bunny-hopping or even lifting you front wheel off the ground.
Hunching over your handlebars not only reduces your wind profile but it also makes you more stable on the bike. Keep in mind that baggy clothing—such as the “windbreaker”—will compromise your ability to weather a storm.
When it comes to drafting in a crosswind, the sweet spot relative to those breaking the wind ahead of you is behind them and off to the side, since air resistance is the angled combination of adjacent wind and your forward progress through it. Even when pedaling side-by-side with a companion, the leeward rider has an advantage. In a cooperative group or paceline, form an echelon by lining up in a diagonal and swing off on the windy side when your turn at the front is done.
If you’re racing, keep in mind that you can help or hinder the riders nearby based on how much room you leave for them on the side of the road. For example, if the breeze comes from the right and the sheltered position is to your left, you can put them “in the gutter” by riding on the far left side of the road.
While there’s something to be said for getting accustomed to battling the elements, I try to do interval training and structured portions of my workouts in a tailwind. Not only does this provide a mental boost, but sailing along at higher speed simulates the velocity and leg peed of racing in a group. My power output consistently increases when I train with the wind at my back.
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